Son Heung-min "Re-contract? We haven't talked about it yet!" (Answer and answer)
Sep 26, 2024
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Tottenham will play Azerbaijan's Karabakh in the first round of the Europa League League League phase in 2024-2025 season on the 26th. An official press conference was held a day before the match. Son Heung-min stepped up as coach and player representative of Engie Postecoglou.
Son Heung-min was bombarded with questions from local reporters. In particular, questions were raised regarding the contract. Son Heung-min's contract with Tottenham is due in the summer of 2025. There is only a one-year extension option. If this is triggered, the contract is due in the summer of 2026.
Regarding the renewal, Son Heung-min said, `We haven't talked about anything yet. I want to focus on this season." At the same time, `No one knows what will happen in the future. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future."
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◇ Q&A with Son Heung-min
-Only a few of the players who played in the Champions League final, what's your determination to lead Tottenham to a European championship?
▶Yes, it's a dream. I can't hide this. That's what we're training for. Of course, we're aiming for another big competition that everyone wants to win. It's going to be a very difficult competition, and it's going to be even harder because we have to play a lot of games and travel a lot. We need to prepare well and take this competition seriously. Because it's a really important competition."
-Is there any risk that the quality of the game will decline with the tournament getting bigger, and the players' schedules included a lot of games?"
▶ Many players said the right thing. It was very important for someone to say that. Sometimes players have to come forward and speak. There are certainly a lot of games, but as a soccer fan, the important thing is quality rather than the amount of games. We want to see quality games rather than as many games as we can."
I don't want to see players suffer from injuries. No one wants that. A lot of games, a lot of movement. We have to manage ourselves, and sometimes it's very difficult. Playing without being mentally or physically prepared increases the risk of injury considerably. We're not robots. You have to manage these parts well, and it's definitely necessary to reduce the game. We need to aim for a better quality of play."
-But shouldn't some of the competitions be given up.
▶Don't get me wrong, we love soccer and enjoy playing games. That's clear. However, the problem is that there are many movements and games. It's not just about playing, it also involves mentally and physically preparing. It's a lot of work. It's about adding more games. Manchester City, for example, played on Sunday, played again on Tuesday, but they weren't flexible. We could have moved it to Wednesday instead of Tuesday. There's no such flexibility. So it's natural that all players are exposed to the risk of injury. It's not fair. Rodri said the right thing, too. We're playing 50-60 games, and it doesn't make sense to play more than 70 games. It's not fair.
-Are you willing to go on strike?
▶It's different that I want to go to the final and play many games. But the current platform, or format, is about playing more games. That's not the way to be considerate of the players. That's where we're talking. There's definitely something I can change, and I think I can move in a positive direction so that I can take good care of the players
-Is it up to the players to solve this problem?
▶It's not up to the players. When the game schedule comes out, the players just have to play. A lot of things are intertwined. There are organizations like the FA and FIFA. Everyone should take this very seriously. It's not just a few players coming forward. There are so many games, and what we want is the quality of the game. The goal should be to watch high-quality matches involving the best players. Of course, the game can at least cause injuries, but the more movement and the more games you play, the greater the risk of injury."
-What is the status of the contract?
▶We haven't talked about anything yet. It's clear to me. I'm focusing on this season. Every moment is precious at this age. Especially this season, I'm participating in several competitions, so I feel like I'm paying more attention.
I'm totally focused on this situation, and this year. This club, these players, and everyone around them wants to win. That's why I work.
No one knows what will happen in the future. But I'm going to do everything for this club. I've been pouring everything into this club for almost a decade. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future. I still have a contract with the club, and that's the most important part. We'll put everything into it while we have a contract."
-What is the difference between young players these days and when you were young?
▶When I'm young, I don't really realize how much responsibility I have. But when you become the oldest player on the team and you see young players, you want to help them. I just want to let you know how important it is to play in the Premier League, to play in a big club. So many things have changed in the last 10 years.
I just want to be a good friend, a good teammate, and show the right form on and off the field. There is a lot of responsibility, but at the same time, there is a lot of joy. We have a lot of incredible players on our team. Ten years go by so fast that sometimes it's a little sad. But all I can do is do the right thing and set a good example for every young player to be a great professional.
-Among the young players is Mikey Moore.
▶Yes, he is a fantastic player. Of course he's from the Academy. As a club, I have to take better care of him, and everyone is welcoming and taking care of him. I take care of him a lot too, because he's such a lovely young player and he trains hard every day. It's not easy to train with the first team at that age. Sometimes I'm very shy.
But he's showing a good personality, and he's training hard. This is very important to me. When you see young players training hard in the first team, you want to help them. When I was young, Ruud van Nistelrooy, now a coach at Manchester United, helped me a lot. When I was in Hamburg.
I want to be that kind of person now. Having him around me and talking together, we play in a similar position, so if I can give you any advice, I would love to help you anytime. Mikey often comes to me and asks me questions, and it's very fun. I enjoy talking to him. He's such a great boy, and I'm sure he'll be a great player. There's no doubt about it. He has such an amazing talent.
As we always say about young players, don't put too much pressure on his shoulders, just enjoy how he develops and how he grows every day, every season. As a fan, I hope you enjoy watching him as a supporter. I'm sure he'll be one of the best players.
-When I spoke to Dejan Kulusevski in the summer, he said he really had to adapt to his game as a winger under Postecoglou. Now playing as a midfielder, did you have to adapt to match Postecoglou's preferred 'high and wide' winger style like Klusevski?
▶No, I think it depends on the director's system. And of course, it's very important to adapt. That doesn't mean you should always stay on the broad side. In the last game, he sometimes made moves to come inside or penetrate inside. For example, if Dominic Solanke goes down to a deep position and pulls out the centre-back, I'm infiltrating into that empty space.
In the end, I think it depends on the situation. But Decky is a style that wants to play more in the middle. He handles the ball well with his back against his opponent, and that's his strength. I'm having a really good season right now.
There's something that a lot of people don't talk about, and it's a huge amount of activity throughout Decky's stadium. He's really everywhere. People don't see it all the time, but he runs really hard. When I look at the data, I'm surprised sometimes. I feel like he's running nonstop.
I think all players appreciate his role. I have no doubt that he will do well in any position with his ability to handle the ball. If you're a coach, you'll do what he asks you to do wherever you put it. Just like we're doing now.
-I would like to ask you about your relationship with Rodrigo Bentancur after what happened in the summer. What do you think of the FA charging him?
▶We have a procedure in progress at the FA, so we can't say much about it. But I really love Rodrigo. I love you so much. We have many good memories. We started playing together when he first joined the team.
He apologized right after that. It was when we were on vacation, and I didn't even know what was going on because I was at home. He sent me a long message, and I could feel his sincerity in that message. When he returned to the training ground for the preseason, he felt really sorry and almost cried.
He has publicly and personally apologized. I could feel that he was truly sorry. We are all human beings, we make mistakes, we learn from them. I really love Rodrigo. I love you so much. I know he made a mistake, but I have no problem at all. We move forward together as teammates, friends, and brothers. Let's move forward together. I can't help but wait to see how the FA will decide, and I have nothing more to say. But one thing is for sure, I love Rodrigo. I have nothing more to say.
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